CNS was already an affiliated shul with Keshet (a national grassroots organization that works for the full inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Jews in Jewish life). I had, while still in Boston, helped found a group called Keshet-Rabbis, created to give voice to LGBT friendly Conservative/Masorti rabbis and advocate for change in the Conservative Movement, culminating with (but not completed by) the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards opening the door to GLBT ordination, first at the Ziegler School in Los Angeles, then at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, and most recently at the Schechter Institute in Jerusalem.

I'm gratified that, along with my friend, Keshet executive director Idit Klein, we've now taken the next step, leveraging the voices of those Conservative rabbis who signed on to the original coalition to strengthen a larger new framework organized by Keshet, called "The Equality Guide". The official announcement can be accessed by clicking on the following link, and I'm especially proud that we, as a community whose work on inclusion far predated my arrival, are part of this powerful Jewish movement to transform the world.

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ABOUT

Rabbi Menachem Creditor serves as the spiritual leader of Congregation Netivot Shalom in Berkeley, CA. Named by Newsweek as one of the 50 most influential rabbis in America, he is a published author, musician, teacher and activist who has spent time working locally, in Ghana, and in the White House to amplify the prophetic Jewish voice in the world. His books include "Peace in Our Cities: Rabbis Against Gun Violence," "Fierce Feelings: Poems," and "Siddur Tov LeHodot: A Transliterated Shabbat Prayerbook." A frequent speaker on Jewish Leadership and Literacy in communities around the United States and Israel, he serves on the board of American Jewish World Service, the Executive Council for the Rabbinical Assembly, and the Chancellor’s Rabbinic Cabinet at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. He is a regular contributor to the Huffington Post and the Times of Israel. He blogs at menachemcreditor.org.